Dr Tarkon said of his mission to OAU: “I’m going back to my alma mater to bless the community that trained me, to encourage the students who will become tomorrow’s global leaders and to support the Health Center that caters for the health of the students’ community.”
By Ishaya Ibrahim
The 3,500-capacity Amphitheatre of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile Ife will play host to one of its own, an ex-student of the school, Dr Joe Tarkon on May 17 and 18.
Dr Tarkon, a Nigerian-born, American-based doctor and presiding pastor of the City of David Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), in Atlanta, Georgia, will be visiting his alma mater with a handful of goodies – medical empowerment to the university community and its environs, leadership development training and evangelistic Christian crusade, which will feature gospel artists including Paul Tomisin and Peterson Okopi.
Tarkon, who trained as a physician at the Obafemi Awolowo University some decades ago, has been practicing medicine in the U.S. where he also serves as the senior pastor of the RCCG.
The poor state of medical practice in Nigeria has been one of his major worries, especially as it affects access to healthcare for poor folks.
READ ALSO: Ugep monarch excited by Dr Tarkon’s free medical outreach, crusade in the community
For six years, he ran Vital Health, a weekly health education radio programme that aired on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Planet FM, Hit FM, and Inspiration FM between 2016 and 2022.
Last December, Dr Tarkon mobilized doctors, pharmacists, and nurses from Nigeria and the United States to offer free medical care, including surgeries at no cost to members of the Ugep community in the Yakurr area of Cross River State. Over a thousand residents benefitted from the medical interventions.
On why the choice of OAU for the outreach, Dr Tarkon said: “I’m going back to my alma mater to bless the community that trained me, to encourage the students who will become tomorrow’s global leaders and to support the Health Center that caters to the health of the students’ community. OAU is my family, and I’ll do my best to support its aspirations.”